Severus' Last Chance
by scaredofrobots
Summary: Severus is hoping for a Christmas Miracle. Lily Evans is the one to give it


Severus Snape woke on Christmas morning with a plan.

He knew, of course, as did all of Hogwarts that the Head Boy and Girl had fallen into something of a romantic relationship after James Potter turned the Great Lake into an ice skating rink and had put a Santa hat on the Giant Squid on November 1st.

Severus was disappointed that Lily had fallen for the obviously overly dramatic gesture. He knew her better than anyone and knew that simple honesty would be the real way to her heart.

He was praying for a Christmas miracle.

Which is why he found himself climbing the steps to the owlery before the sunrise with the hopes to catch her.

Lily always woke up at 4am in Christmas and would walk to the owlery to send her final

 _2 hours to Christmas Sunrise_ countdown owls.

As he arrived at the top of the stairs, he was happy to find Lily alone and sending what seemed to be the last owl.

As she turned towards the steps she noticed him and smiled with, "Happy Christmas Severus, I was just leaving."

Before she could reach the steps he grabbed her arm, "Lily, can I just- please?"

She turned to him then and raised an eyebrow expectantly, "Just accost me in the owlery?"

He had to laugh at her cheek, it was one of the things he loved (currently not past tense) about her.

"No," he exclaimed and then lowered his voice. "No- I wanted to- It's Christmas and I know you believe in second chances and the magic of Christmas- and…." he trailed off.

He had her attention now. She looked at him expectantly, "and what Sev?"

He swallowed and tried to grab the little courage he felt. "I...look- Lily. I love you. I have loved you since I saw you spinning those flowers for your sister on the playground- - and I know…..I _know_ that you think I am some racist nazi asshole but I'm not. Everything…..Everything I have done- it has been….it's been for you Lily. I want to take you away and save your from this pureblood mania…."

Lily's eyes were filling with tears and she wiped them away. Severus felt emboldened to continue, "I can only save you from the inside. Everything- everything has been to protect _you_. Mary…hanging with that lot…..for you Lily. As long as I tell them they will not touch you."

Pleading, he reached for her, "Please Lily, understand- understand that I love you. More than anything…."

Sobbing, Lily fell into his embrace. Severus stroked her hair and cooed, "It's alright, I've got you…"

He held her for a few moments and then she pulled away and looked him in the eye.

Placing a hand on his cheek she leaned closer and whispered, "Everything you did was for me?"

Severus placed his forehead on hers and stated, "Yes. I love you, Lily, always."

Their eyes met and Lily leaned closer to him and whispered, "I love you too Sev"

And then her hand dropped from his face- and she- punched him. In the right eye.

Lily Evans was always surprising. After the blow had landed she continued,

"I love you for who you were a long time ago. But don't even try to delude yourself into thinking you did anything to protect me. You did it for power, Snivellus- because you are weak and sad and for the _life_ of me I cannot remember why I tolerated it for so long. We Gryffindors can be a stubbornly loyal lot after all. You were my first person in this world and I fought so long to hold on to that. But you just wanted to control me here just like everyone else-"

Here he interrupted her scoffing, "You can't tell me Potter doesn't try to control you."

This was the wrong thing to say because Lily slapped him hard across the face. "James lets me do whatever the fuck I please, thank you very much."

"I doubt that," Snape sneered

"I could tap dance naked before the Giant Squid at Sunrise and James Potter would say fuck all about it. He might critique my time step but he wouldn't tell me what he would _**let me**_ do. Now if you'll excuse me. I've got a tap dance to practice. I hope everything you think you've done for my sake is fucking worth it Snivellus. Happy fucking Christmas," and she stormed off.

Seconds later she returned.

"And don't come for my family," she said, brandishing her wand.

"Your family," Snape snarled, "What would the Dark Lord want with Petunia?"

"You're a fucking idiot," she responded."Family isn't always blood. Peter, Remus, Sirius, _James._ My Family. Come for them and I will kill you like the snake you are."

That seemed to be all Lily Evans had left to say.

Severus stood- embarrassed, ashamed and broken hearted as the blood from his broken nose mixed with the salt of his tears.

He was able to excuse the black eye and broken nose as a potions experiment gone terribly wrong to his house mates. They believed it because Severus was always ending up injured because of his experiments.

That was until on the morning of December 26th when Lily Evans received a howler.

As was their custom, the Gryffindors made a very big deal about opening the howler for Lily so she could feel the full shame (this was of course after silencing the whole great hall with a charm).

Suddenly the voice of Sirius Black (his lawyer voice) began booming through the great hall, " **LILY FUCKING EVANS. I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU PUNCHED SNIVELLY IN HIS CUNT FACE ON CHRISTMAS AND I WASN'T THERE TO SEE IT! I KNOW YOU SAID PAPA EVANS TAUGHT YOU HOW TO MUGGLE DUEL BUT HOT DAMN LILY. I WOULD PUT MY MOUTH ON YOUR MOUTH THE NEXT TIME I SAW YOU IF I DIDN'T THINK IT WOULD OFFEND OUR BOYFRIENDS. NEXT TIME WAIT UNTIL I'M THERE WITH A CAMERA. HAPPY FUCKING CHRISTMAS I LOVE YOU, YOU MAD BIRD. PS- I'LL SEE YOU NEXT FRIDAY FOR DETENTION MINNIE- I KNOW HOW YOU HATE LANGUAGE IN THE GREAT HALL BUT LILY PUNCHED SEVERUS SNAPE AND BROKE HER NOSE, MINNIE- A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE TO BE SURE"**

Once the howler had finished, Severus looked across the great hall to Lily Evans, who had the gall to shrug at him and then to begin laughing in earnest.

It was the worst Christmas holiday Severus has ever had.

(and he deserved it)


End file.
